Push and Pull Motivations as Demand Predictors of Coastal and Marine Destinations: A Study in Acapulco, Mexico

ABSTRACT Many tourists look for coastal and marine destinations where they can perform various natural and cultural activities. This study addresses the dimensions of push and pull motivations that influence a coastal and marine destination for domestic tourism, and an analysis was performed with the dimensions of push and pull motivations that predict satisfaction, return and destination recommendation. For this purpose, a quantitative study of 441 surveys, where the researchers used data reduction and multiple regression techniques to select the motivational variables that predict a future behavioral variable, was carried out in Acapulco, a relevant coastal and marine destination in Mexico. Findings revealed two motivating dimensions of thrust that were “novelty” and “escape” and two dimensions of attraction that were “static marine” and “active marine,” The "novelty" and "static marine" factors mainly influenced satisfaction, while the factors that mostly predict return and recommendation were "escape" and "novelty.”